Ms. Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton

In late 2013, Grammy Award winner Lisa Fischer (of The Rolling Stones and of Academy Award winner movie “Twenty Feet From Stardom”) teamed up creating the entity “Ms. Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton”. They are on tour since 2014.

“The show was essentially a collaboration between Ms. Fischer and J.C. Maillard, her musical director.[...] In resplendent vocal shape at 56, she brought down the house in the single best show I’ve seen in the many years I’ve visited Birdland.” - Stephen Holden, The New York Times

“They did not disappoint. The sold out show was packed to standing room only with adoring fans who have been waiting nearly two decades for this amazing moment.[...]She is now more than ever a brilliantly shining star.[...] The chemistry between she and Grand Baton’s musical director/arranger J.C. Maillard is great. It takes a special kind of awesomeness to work with the likes of Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton is well suited for the task. They are skilled to play multiple instruments and most importantly they listen to each other which is critical in making memorable music.” - Sir Harvey Fitz, The Examiner

“Grand Baton[...]provided the perfectly sly, groove to the warmth of Ms. Fischer’s soulful originals and some wild renditions of well-known covers.[...] A just as inventive “Jumping Jack Flash” with JC Maillard cutting wild guitar grooves and singing like some chanting angel with Lisa[...] she did just the warmest vocal flights and deep meaningful vocalizing, rolling the end of the tune to be about the power of love…which the crowd at Jazz Standard gave this humble beautiful woman with the stellar voice back in spades this night.” -Ralph Greco, Short and Sweet NYC

“Anything but a nostalgia act, she’s jumping back into the fray with a singular ensemble that has already honed an intricate synthesis of Caribbean and West African rhythms, jazz and rock.” Andrew Gilbert, Mercurynews.com

“The stunning power and suppleness of her voice sparks the soul, a flame that burns long after she’s left the stage.[...] an explosive rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”. Grand Baton transformed the rhythm into a veritable inferno underneath Fischer’s unbridled vocals.[...] Fischer and Grand Baton took a unique approach on the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and unearthed heretofore hidden qualities in the song’s composition.[...] The audience rose to their feet, saluting an artist whose virtuosity is beyond compare.” - Christian John Wikane , Pop matters

”Fischer’s unique vocal style is well served by the understated but richly textured arrangements crafted by her guitarist and musical director, J.C. Maillard[...]. Her backing trio[...] sounded much larger than the sum of its parts.” - by Dan Emerson, twin cities.com

5 Comments

Your show this evening at the Cabot was absolutely transcendent! I cannot imagine anything more exquisitely beautiful and potent. I felt so blessed by this extraordinary gift and believe that you can heal the universe with your music. It certainly sent me into rapture! You inspire me as a painter, and more so as a woman. I cannot thank you enough for your revelatory outpouring — it seemed that angels were in the house!

Hi JC,
On Wednesday May 18th I was at the concert you did with your band Grand Baton an d Lisa Fisher in Barcelona (Spain). At the end of the concert I would have liked to talk to you, but you were talking to a girl and did not want to bother.
I really liked how you play, and sounds you get out of your guitars, Congratulations! I’m also a guitarist and I’m excited sound of the guitar, and the concert I heard sounds that excited me. I liked a lot the sound you used in the last song (bis) with a electric guitar, very organic and acoustic sound. Would you mind telling me how you do it, which pick-up, pedals/effects and amplifier use? By the way, could you tell me the name of this song? And if I can locate on the some link?
Thank you for your time and congratulations for as touch and arrangements you make of the songs. Thank you very much. Health!
P.S. Excuse my bad English, sorry.
J.C. Santamaria

Hi J.C
Thank you for your comment. Sorry to be so late to reply. I don’t remember the precise set list of the show in Barcelona, but if you tell me this last song was on electric guitar, I believe it was our version of “Wild Horses” by the Rolling Stones. So far, we have no recording of our versions but I’m sure you can find excerpts of it on youtube. As far as equipment, I am soon going to create a page here with details of my gear, but for this song it is very simple, mostly middle position of the selector on the guitar, a “Lovepedal Minivalve” booster and a “TC Electronic Flashback” tape delay, all in a rental AC-30. All the best to you.